A logo that looks sharp on your screen can look very different once it is printed onto a brown kraft box. That is not a fault in the logo, it is simply what happens when full-colour artwork meets a real, slightly uneven material. The good news is that a handful of design choices make almost any logo print cleanly. Here is what we see working, and what tends to cause disappointment.
Start with what the printer actually does
We print full-colour artwork using a water-based digital inkjet process, directly onto pre-manufactured stock packaging. Two things follow from that. First, we print in pre-defined print areas only, so your logo needs to sit comfortably inside the area available on your chosen product (our guide to which areas of a box can be printed explains this in detail). Second, there is no white ink. Anything white in your artwork is not printed at all, so the bare material shows through instead.
On a white box, that makes no difference. On brown kraft, "white" becomes brown. If your logo relies on a white knockout or a white outline to stand out, it will not look the way it does on your screen.
Choose a version of your logo that works on kraft
If your main logo is white or very pale, ask your designer for a one-colour version in a dark or mid-tone shade. Charcoal, deep navy, dark green and rich brown all read well on kraft because they have plenty of contrast against the brown surface. Very light colours tend to look weak and washed out, and bright, saturated shades will read more muted and darker than they do on screen.
A simple, single-colour mark is often the most reliable choice. We cover this in more depth in our article on making packaging look premium with just one colour, and it is a good starting point if you are not sure which direction to take.
Favour line art and clean shapes over solid fills
Large areas of solid block colour print inconsistently, and we advise avoiding them. A logo built from clean lines, outlined shapes and confident lettering copes far better than one that depends on a big flat rectangle of colour. If your current logo sits inside a heavy coloured box, consider whether an outlined version would work instead. We explain the reasoning in why solid block colour does not print well on kraft.
Keep the lettering bold enough to read at the size it will appear. Very thin strokes and tiny strapline text are the first things to suffer on a textured surface, so if a detail only just survives on screen, it is unlikely to thrive on a box.
Be realistic about colour
We print full colour, but we cannot guarantee exact Pantone matches. Slight colour variances are possible because we are printing onto an uneven, pre-manufactured surface, and this is more noticeable on brown and manila materials. If your brand colour has to be exact, it is better to know that before you order than after. Our piece on Pantone versus digital print covers what to expect.
The practical approach is to choose colours that look good on kraft rather than trying to force an exact match, and to judge the result from a proof rather than from your screen.
Give your logo room to breathe
Because printing is limited to set areas, a logo that fills the whole area to its edges leaves no margin for the small variations that come with printing onto stock packaging. Leave a comfortable clear space around the mark. A slightly smaller logo with generous space around it almost always looks more confident than one squeezed in to fill the space.
Also remember that supplier markings can appear on some products, such as barcodes on parts of boxes and book wrap mailers, and small branding at the bottom of paper mailing bags. Your design should work with a stock product rather than assume a totally blank canvas.
Supply artwork that is ready to print
We print the artwork you supply, so it needs to be print-ready. You can upload a PNG or JPG in the online personalisation tool and see how it will look on the product, or email your files to info@fast-printed-packaging.co.uk. We accept PDF, PNG, JPG, TIFF, BMP, AI, PSD and EPS files. If you have a vector version of your logo, such as an AI, EPS or PDF file, use it, because vector artwork keeps its edges crisp at any size. Our full guide to supplying artwork walks through the common mistakes.
Check it before the full run
You are not committing blind. We do not process or print a full order until you have approved a printed sample, by email, video or a physical sample in the post, and you can make unlimited amendments until you are happy. You can also order a blank sample for a couple of pence to check the base product itself. Details are on our order proof page.
Once your logo is ready, you can put it to work on postal cardboard boxes or paper carrier bags. If you still have questions about what is and is not possible, our frequently asked questions page is a good next stop.
A quick checklist
- Use a dark or mid-tone one-colour version of your logo on kraft.
- Avoid relying on white, because there is no white ink.
- Prefer line art and clean shapes to large solid fills.
- Keep lettering bold enough to read at print size.
- Leave clear space inside the print area.
- Judge colour from a proof, not from your screen.
